Knox County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The oldest county in Indiana, it was one of two original counties created in the Northwest Territory in 1790, alongside, St. Clair County, Illinois. Knox County was gradually reduced in size as subsequent counties were established. It was established in its present configuration when Daviess County was partitioned off (2 February 1818). At the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, the county population was 38,440. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attache ...

. Knox County comprises the Vincennes, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In 1790,

Winthrop Sargent Winthrop Sargent (May 1, 1753 – June 3, 1820) was a United States patriot, politician, and writer; and a member of the Federalist party. Early life Sargent was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts on May 1, 1753. He was one of eight children ...

, Secretary of Northwest Territory, organized Knox County, the fourth in the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

. It was named for Major General

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following th ...

, who had completed his term as second U.S. Secretary of War the previous September. Knox County was created prior to the formation of the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

. When it was created, Knox County extended to Canada and encompassed all or part of the present states of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio. When the Illinois Territory was formed in 1809, the portions of Knox County beyond the

Wabash River The Wabash River (French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from ...

became Saint Clair County, Illinois. Many of Knox County townships and lots were surveyed with the French system, which employs non-cardinal compass points. Knox and

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin language, Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone ...

counties are the only ones laid out in this fashion.

Geography

Knox County lies on the west edge of the state; its western border abuts the eastern border of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

across the

. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 98.47%) is land and (or 1.53%) is water. The county's west border is defined by the south-flowing Wabash River, and its east border is defined by the south-southwest-flowing White River. Its southwesternmost point occurs at the confluence of the two rivers, near

Mount Carmel, Illinois Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2010 census, the population was 7,284, and it is the largest city in the county. The next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, p ...

. The terrain consists of verdant low-rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture. Its highest points (around 620 feet/189 meters ASL) occur in the hills midway between Bruceville and Bicknell.

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

* Sullivan County - north * Greene County - northeast * Daviess County - east * Pike County - southeast * Gibson County - south * Wabash County, Illinois - southwest * Lawrence County, Illinois - west *

Crawford County, Illinois Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,817. Its county seat is Robinson. History Crawford County was formed in the Illinois Territory on December 31, 1816, out of Edw ...

- northwest

National protected area

* George Rogers Clark National Historical Park

Communities

Cities

* Bicknell *

Towns

* Bruceville * Decker * Edwardsport * Monroe City * Oaktown * Sandborn * Wheatland

Census-designated places

* Emison * Freelandville * Ragsdale *

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

Unincorporated areas

* Beal * Busseron * Fritchton * Indian Creek Settlement *

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though ther ...

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

* Orrville * Pond Creek Mills * Purcell * Saint Thomas * Verne * Wagner Station * Willis

Townships

* Busseron * Decker * Harrison *

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...

* Steen *

Vigo Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

* Widner

Climate and weather

In recent years, the average temperature in Vincennes has ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the

Constitution of Indiana The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana. It establishes the structure and function of the state and is based on the principles of federalism and Jacksonian democracy. Indiana's constitution is su ...

, and by the

Indiana Code The Indiana Code is the code of laws for the U.S. state of Indiana. The contents are the codification of all the laws currently in effect within Indiana. With roots going all the way back to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the laws of Indiana h ...

. County Council: The legislative branch of the county government; controls the county's spending and revenue collection. Representatives are elected from county districts to four-year terms. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes. Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county. The commissioners are elected county-wide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the legislative acts of the County Council, collecting revenue, and managing the county government's functions. Court: The county maintains a

small claims court Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it may ...

that can handle some civil cases. The court judge is elected to a four-year term, and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable, who is elected county-wide to a four-year term. Some court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court. County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jur ...

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and a ...

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ...

, and circuit

court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...

. Each is elected county-wide to a four-year term. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featu ...

affiliations and to be residents of the county. Knox County is part of Indiana's 8th congressional district,

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year term ...

districts 39 and 48, and

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House me ...

districts 45 and 64.

Demographics

As of the

, there were 38,440 people, 15,249 households, and 9,725 families in the county. The population density was . There were 17,038 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.9% white, 2.6% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.9% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 19.9% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 13.0% were Irish, and 9.1% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. Of the 15,249 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.2% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 38.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $51,534. Males had a median income of $40,553 versus $27,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,381. About 12.6% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Workforce

In 2005, Knox County had 998 business units and 16,240 jobs. The largest employing industry in the county was education and health services (including both public and private employment) with almost 34 percent of total industry employment. Trade, transportation, and utilities came in second with over 22 percent of total industry employment. Manufacturing showed the most job growth and the largest percentage gain since 2001, increasing 316 jobs or almost 21 percent. The 2005 all industry earnings average for Knox County was $26,875, up $2,824 or 11.7 percent over the county's 2001 average. The manufacturing industry had the highest average annual earnings at $33,238, increasing $1,695 since 2001. Annual earnings in the information sector increased the most between 2001 and 2005, up $6,518 or 29.7 percent. The Vincennes area has a diversified economy. In 2005 retail trade was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $19,743. Per capita income grew by 17.9% between 1994 and 2004 (adjusted for inflation). While manufacturing accounts for 8.2% of the jobs, the services sector is rapidly growing. Knox County's ground breaking Pathways Program insures a well-trained, highly motivated labor force. Knox County encompasses an area that attracts approximately 300,000 potential employees within an easy commute. Because of the proximity of the surrounding counties, and ease of access to the Vincennes area, businesses routinely draw from a labor force that lies within a 50-mile radius of their work site.

References

{{Authority control 1790 establishments in the Northwest Territory Populated places established in 1790 Southwestern Indiana